Stay on target

Of the two annual Forza games, I’ve always been partial to the Horizon series. Unlike the core Motorsport branch, Horizon games feature giant open worlds and more arcade-y controls. Forza Horizon 3 is one of the best racers released in recent years and is a personal favorite of mine. I didn’t see it being topped any time soon, but that opinion has now changed. I got to spend some time with the upcoming Forza Horizon 4 after the Xbox E3 briefing yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed myself. If the rest of the game is as fun as the demo, this will be the best Forza Horizon game yet.

Horizon titles always start with a bombastic intro and Forza Horizon 4 is no different. The game’s “hook” centers on changing seasons. This mechanic was in full effect during the intro. I raced through the lush English country side as the seasons changed from Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer. This isn’t just for aesthetics either, as each season offers different driving conditions. Different paths also open up depending on the season. For example, it’s possible to drive over lakes which are frozen during winter. I’m not sure how this will play out in the final game, but I found the dynamic weather provided an interesting challenge. I had to stay alert in order to maintain a good position during the race.

If you’ve played any Horizon game then you’ll instantly acclimate to the controls. They’re virtually identical to previous iterations. This isn’t a negative considering how tight and precise the controls are. Even with great controls, there’s a chance things can go wrong. Thankfully, you can always press the “rewind” button and get a bit of a do-over like in previous games. Again, this series is mechanically sound so I’m glad the devs didn’t tinker with something that didn’t need fixing.

As expected, Forza Horizon 4 looks absolutely stunning. I played the game on the powerful Xbox One X, so crisp clean visuals are a given. Even if you have a regular Xbox you’ll get a visually stunning experience. I love how each season has such a distinct look and feel. Autumn features rich colors from dying leaves, while the summer sun scorches the road with its intense heat. Let’s not forget the cars, with their ungodly amount of detail. From interiors to exteriors, every vehicle looks exactly like its real-world counterpart. This is a game made to show off your Xbox One X and fancy 4K TV.

Another addition is a dynamic open world. Previous games featured AI-controlled racers which mimicked the driving style of people from your friends list. This time, every race car on the road is directly controlled by another player. This helps create more of a living world. You can challenge others to a race, or just grief one another for laughs. The series was always headed in this direction, so this new feature is most certainly a welcomed one.

The only thing I didn’t get to experience was driving in a city. I know London and other English cities are present in the game, but my demo didn’t have them. Driving across the country side is great and all, but city driving is where it’s at for me. I’m sure they’ll have to bend reality somewhat since it’s not exactly easy to drive 200mph in London’s congested streets. Either way, I want to drive through the city while avoiding pedestrians and horses. They still have horses in London, right?

Those who have Xbox Game Pass can play Forza Horizon 4 at no additional cost when it launches in early October. That’s certainly a sweet deal for folks who subscribe to Xbox’s monthly service. If you’re not a subscriber, you can always buy a month of Xbox Game Pass for $10 and try the game that way. However, given how awesome Forza Horizon 4 looks at this stage, I’m sure you’re going to want to either stay subscribed or purchase the full game. It really is that good.